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The Republic of the Marshall Islands has issued the following Yacht Advisory YSA-1-15TO: Commercial and Private Yacht Masters, Owners, Yacht Managers, Agents, Classification Societies and Appointed Representatives

Please be advised that yachts and other shipping in the Mediterranean could come under attack from heavily armed ISIS fighters using speedboats to conduct attacks from the Libyan coast. It is feared that luxury yachts could be singled out as part of a piracy campaign that would threaten shipping from Gibraltar to Greece. ISIS pirates would pose a greater danger than the Somalis who have attacked shipping in the Indian Ocean because they are better armed.Please also refer to previously issued YSA-4-12 Indian Ocean piracy and YSA-2-11 on Piracy in High Risk Areas.

RACE TO VAVAUThe Kerikeri Cruising Club is organising a race from Kerikeri to Vavau planned for 2016 to celebrate the 80th birthday of the club.The proposed race will depart Kerikeri late in May and covers a distance of 1180 miles to a new off-shore race destination.Assistance has been approved from the Tongan Government Tourism Authority and the Vavau Yacht Club as well as several local businesses in Vavau.The Chairman of the Vavau Race Committee Mark Beauchamp has been working on the proposed race for 12 months and says that all that is required now is to go through the formalities with Yachting New Zealand. This will be the third time Kerikeri Cruising club has run an off-shore race to alternative destinations, the first two being to Port Vila. Beauchamp hopes that the new destination will help revitalise off-shore racing in New Zealand.

The Dinghy Academy in Valencia is going from strength to strength. Established two years ago by 2000 Olympic Finn silver medalist Luca Devoti as a way to develop the skills of aspiring Olympians in a group training environment, it has come of age and is ready to take the next step forward. More and more sailors are benefitting from his unique experience and coaching style, and the first class facilities offered at the Academy, which is located in the extensive grounds of the Real Club Náutico de Valencia.

In 2013 the Finn class partnered with the Dinghy Academy to part fund up to four sailors each year to train at the Academy, help out with equipment charter and purchase as well as travel to major events. That initiative is continuing with three sailors already signed up for 2015 season. Each sailor has to agree to specific goals and a training/regatta schedule and they can benefit from charter boats, sailing and fitness coaching as well as working in a very focussed sporting atmosphere of continual learning and improvement.

A visit in mid-March coincided with the Open Internacional Vela Olimpica, organised by the Real Club Nautico. Twenty-two Finn sailors of all abilities were taking part in the regatta, many as part of their final preparations before heading over to Palma for the Princesa Sofia Regatta. With six race winners from the six races sailed, it was clear that this is a wide open fleet with a wide range of sailors. There is always someone to learn from

The Real Club Nautico has the perfect location for a training base, with extensive facilities including a gym, restaurant and an Olympic sized swimming pool. The weather and wind is about as pleasant and reliable as anywhere in Europe with wind all but guaranteed on 98 out of every 100 days. The Academy has attracted all types of Finn sailors from juniors setting out on the journey to Masters warming up before a major championship.

One of the race winners last week was Alejandro Foglia (URU). He has already been to the Olympics three times in the Laser, with a best result of eighth in London 2012, before stepping into the Finn in 2013. However his Finn campaign didn’t start too well with a back problem in his first regatta. “I got injured in Palma and had to stop for almost a year. I had a slipped disk in my lower back so it was hard because I was used to training hard. I am an active person, so one year out was hard, but on the positive side I had more time to finish my physical education studies. Now it is back to 100 per cent OK, but of course I need to care of it.”

Foglia was one of the first sailors to receive funding from the Finn Class through its FIDeS programme (Finn International Development Support). “I am very happy to be here. I moved here to train and now live here all year round. We have a very good group here. It is the best option for me if I want to train in a good group.”

He described a typical training period in which recovery is as much a part of the programme as on the water work and physical training. “We have a routine of three weeks training and one week off, which is basically recovery training. During the three weeks the loads are gradually increased. We train on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and then recover on Thursday. Then on Friday and Saturday we train harder and then have Sunday off to recover. We do that with increasing loads over the three weeks and then take a week off. If there is a regatta coming then we take a week off before the regatta.”

“We did endurance training from October to January. Now we are just maintaining that and increasing intensity with weights in the gym and sailing of course. The amount we do of each activity depends on the wind. If we look at the forecast and have a hard week coming then the most important thing is to sail, so we train in the gym but not as hard as if the wind is are light, because you want to be fresh when you go sailing to do the best you can.”

Like many sailors his main focus this year is on the world championship in Takapuna in November, the second Olympic Qualifier for nation places in Rio. “New Zealand is the final goal for us as a lot of guys here still need to qualify for Rio. We are working hard to get there but step by step. First we go to Palma, maybe Hyeres if we qualify and then the Europeans. I have some funding but I still need more. I am now involved in some crowd funding to buy a new mast, and many people are supporting me. If a lot of people give a little I can get a new mast. I also have an Olympic Solidarity Scholarship from the IOC. It’s helped me a lot it doesn’t cover everything.”

One of the past Olympians choosing to train in Valencia over the winter is Giorgio Poggi (ITA). He said, “It’s a nice group for training. All the guys training here have different skills so every day you have different guys going well, so every day you have to push because someone will always be sailing well. The conditions are beautiful, with great weather and of course with Luca he knows how to train and gives good advice and how to trim and find perfect speed.”

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The ‘head sailor’ in Valencia is the 2013 European Champion, and double Olympic Laser medalist, Vasilij Zbogar (SLO). “For me Valencia is a great training place where I can focus just on the sailing.”

“For a guy like me that is from a small country with just few Finn sailors, the academy it is a great place to train with other sailors. Valencia is a nice town, and the Real Club Nautico and all the facilities, good weather and wind all year around will ensure a long and successful future for the Dinghy Academy.”

Head Coach Luca Devoti said, “Sailors who come here just get better day by day. The tough training and competition makes them grow at all levels from masters to top champions. The camaraderie between the sailors and the fact that we share all the information makes us grow day by day.”

“Since we started we have had more than 50 sailors coming here over the first three years of life. All kinds of sailors learn, they learn from the champions here and they share their passion. For this, Valencia is magic...I hope the Dinghy Academy will become the reference for dinghy sailing in a modern doping free, friendly and competent environment.”

In Part two we will talk to some of the newer sailors joining the Dinghy Academy and find out what they are getting out of it, as well as looking at what the future holds.

Composting Toilets are becoming more common on boats in NZ. I have just fitted one to Island Time. This is partially due to the increasing prevalence of no discharge zones, and because our old Lectrasan treatment system was starting to smell, and needed another electrode pack...

The advantages of a composting head, when correctly installed and used, are;

No Through Hull

No pump or macerator

Virtually no smell

Very simple install, anywhere

No holding tank required

Zero discharge - use it anywhere!

I've written a bit about installing the unit I chose, the Airhead, (Click "Read Story" below)If you'd like to order one, or get some more info, click HERE

During the Volvo Ocean Race stopover in Auckland, Team Alvimedica will be using the SB22 Sea Blade to implement their on water Hospitality program and media requirementsThe Sea Blade’s unique hull form delivers stability and comfort which makes it a perfect platform for supporting the Team. Team Alvimedica Marketing Director Andrea Tagliamacco said, “Having a high performance RIB is key to providing our guests with a unique, comfortable and safe on the water experience”. The Sea Blade initially joined the team 25 kilometres north of Auckland for the arrival where it provided a front row seat for the Team Alvimedica’s media team.

Charles Winstone of Sea Blade, “it has been a great opportunity to work with Team Alvimedica who I think has been adopted by most Kiwis as the boat with the most New Zealanders. It has been fun supporting them and we look forward watching them for the rest of race”.

Team Alvimedica’s racing will resume on the 12th March with the first Pro-Am race with daily in port racing until the leg start on the 15th March. During which time the Sea Blade will be on duty as a support and media boat.

The Sea Blade will launch the first production model at the Hutchwilco Boat show this year and is set to be game changer for sea worthiness and luxury. For more information http://www.lancer.co...nd-performance/ or contact Lancer Industries Ltd 0064 9 837 1206 info@lancer.co.nz

I've just done my heat exchanger servicing. This is a job that should be done every year or so. If you don't do it, your engine will eventually overheat, and if you have an engine driven fridge, it may not work properly either!

Heat exchangers 101 (skip this bit if you know about them already!)

So, basically a heat exchanger is a series of pipes inside a container. The pipes carry cool fluid (seawater here) through whatever needs to be cooled in the container (Water, Oil, Refrigerant etc). Heat is transferred from the container to the fluid running thru the tubes, exchanging the heat - hence the name of course!

There are a few issues with seawater as a coolant, which, as boaties, we need to be aware of. Firstly, it is corrosive, secondly it can cause electrolysis in dissimilar immersed metals, and third, it carries sea life and salt!

To combat these, your heat exchanger/s and or cooling system is made of durable materials that (hopefully) don't rust away too quickly! Not much you can do about the construction of the system unless you are replacing stuff, and that's beyond the scope of this article.

The second item, electrolysis. To combat this, your system will likely have an anode, especially if the heat exchanger has no electrical connection (other than sea water!) with the main engine. Make sure you check and replace the anode as required - not to do so will lead to premature failure of the heat exchanger. = $$$

The third issue is sea life and salt. Salt deposits and sea life (mostly small shellfish and barnacles) can block the small tubes in the heat exchangers, and slow or even stop the flow of cooling water. This can lead to catastrophic overheating. More $$$! So, yearly checking and cleaning is a good idea.

Remember you may have more than one heat exchanger. I have three - Fridge, oil and engine. Blockage of one or more will reduce the flow of water from your exhaust. Your exhaust discharge should not be hot enough to steam - if it is, the flow may be partially restricted!!

Cleaning:So, here is the cleaning process. Firstly, the units must be identified and removed. Follow the path of the water from your engine through hull. Here is a pic of my engine, showing the raw water (seawater) pump, and the location of the heat exchangers. The Oil H/E is hidden from view, behind the engine H/E and the alternator.

To help with access, I removed the alternator, here is a pic showing the small oil cooler (H/E) behind the engine H/ESo, now you must remove the heat exchangers, and take them apart. CAUTION - the fridge one will contain pressurized refrigerant!! Make CERTAIN that you only remove the water connections!!!

1st Drain the engine coolant. Here is what my Heat exchangers (Volvo 2003T) look like removed;The top two pipes with the circular fittings are the oil inlet and outlet for the oil cooler. The water comes from the raw water pump, through the fridge heat exchanger, then the oil cooler, then the engine heat exchanger, finally out thru the exhaust.So, now take the ends off, and you can remove the cores. In this case the fridge unit had a partially blocked outlet, restricting the water flow. Here is the engine H/E with the core removed;As you can see, the core is a bunch of small tubes. In this case, they are about the same dia as a .22 rifle bore, so I use a rifle cleaning brush to thoroughly clean them. They were not bad this time. However, the oil cooler has smaller tubes, and was pretty blocked – mostly with sea life, as you can see here;Now, some people use Acids to clean these, and it certainly works well. However, be warned – if there are any damaged joints, or thin piping, acids can ruin the core, and replacements are expensive. A radiator repair shop is your best bet for repairs, and can often supply replacement cores MUCH cheaper than a genuine part. Personally I use a calcium/lime/rust removal product, which is much gentler, but also slower. I left this to soak in CLR for a few hours, then rodded out the remainder with stiff wire.Finally, reassemble everything, replace the engine coolant including a good corrosion inhibitor, replace the heat exchanger anode/s, check for leaks and you are good for another year or so!As an aside, now you know your system is clean, change the raw water pump impeller, and then note how much water comes from your exhaust at idle - any reduction over time in this flow is an early indicator of a problem.Oh, I last cleaned these units about 18 months ago, and the boat is used most weekends, year round. Seems the warmer the water the more of an issue it is! This boat is based at Gulf Harbour in Auckland. The growth here is faster than when we were at Mana in Wellington.Happy Boating!!

No official history of the race has been written but we do know that a race has been sailed in many of the years since the first known event in 1921. The early event was known as the Auckland-Tauranga Ocean Race. It is known the Race was also sailed every year from 1921 to 1930. The Race in these earlier years started on occasions on Christmas Eve. Generally they were sailed over the Christmas break with the finish line off the Strand and timed to coincide with the sailing of the Tauranga Regatta on 27 December. Media interest in keel boat racing was intense in these early years.

The Trophy for many of the early races was the “Tauranga Gold Cup” which was renamed in 1926 the "Colin Norris Memorial Gold Cup" (now generally known as the “Gold Cup”). Colin Norris was secretary of the Tauranga Regatta Committee and the instigator of the Auckland to Tauranga Race.

"Wairiki"The line honours results for the year prior to World War II are taken from the Gold Cup.

The 1921 Race started at 7.30pm on Christmas Eve. It was started by the RNZYS at Kings Wharf and finished at the Mount. The Race was won by Waione (CF McWilliam) with the Tercels sailing Restless coming second. In this Race one of the yachts had carrier pigeons sent from Tauranga with progress reports!.

In 1922 the Tercel brothers, again sailing Restless, won the Race and the "Tauranga Gold Cup". In 1923 Restless finished third. By this time the Auckland to Tauranga Ocean Race was established as a major yacht race.

In 1923 the Race was won by Queenie (T. Hill) with Wairiki second. Queenie (T. Hill) won again in 1924.In 1925 Vanitie (J. & E. Morris) took line honours. Wairiki (S. Speight) won in 1926.

In 1927 Iorangi (Geo McKenzie) was the winner. Line honours in 1928 were taken by Nga Toa (Winstone Brothers).

In 1929 the Race was won on line and handicap by Wairiki (S. Speight). The programme noted the Race was for keelers and mullet boats. Wairiki took line again in 1930 under the ownership of D. Macky.

In 1931 Clark and Wilson sailed Naiad (Naird or Ngairo appears on the Cup), the first of Lou Tercel’s boats to victory in Race. Naiad won the Race one more time in 1949.

The first Race sailed after World War II recorded in Club records was in 1948 when the prizes were “suitably decorated pennants”. The Finish was off Coronation Pier. The Gold Cup however records winners from 1944 to 1949. These are: 1944 Speedwell (W. Paterson); 1945 Vanitie (M. Georgettie); 1946 Whakanui (J. Cook); 1947 Mandalay (W. A. Wilkinson); 1948 Vanitie (C. Morris); 1949 Naiad (J. Moulden). It is unclear as to whether these winners were for the Auckland Tauranga Race but the appearance of some of the pre-war entrants would suggest that they were.

Club records show further races in 1952, 1953 and 1954 after which the Race was discontinued due to lack of support. The Race was sailed again in December 1957. The entry fee was one pound. The next Races would seem to be in 1965 and 1966, the latter with only four entries. TYPBC records show that there was a Race in 1970 sailed at Christmas as part of a junior offshore group (JOG) rally. This race was won by Noel Angus on the One Tonner Mustang which set a race record of 16 hours in doing so.

Records show the Race was cancelled in 1977 due to lack of interest. In 1983 the Race was revived with the sponsorship of Malcolm Fowler Motors and the timing moved to Easter. A separate article has been written about this Race. Since then the Auckland to Tauranga Race has been sailed every year with two exceptions. These were in 2001 due to forecast gale force north-easterly winds and again in 2013 when a combination of strong south easterlies and debris from the wreck of the Rena on Astrolabe Reef created a risk of damage to entrants.

Based on the above up to and including the 2011 event the Race has been competed for in all probability on at least 55 occasions.

Much of the above material was gleaned from “The History of the Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club” edited by Marion Smith. Further material was taken from the book “Southern Breeze: A History of Yachting in New Zealand” p126. Tauranga Yacht and Power Boat Club would be delighted to hear from anyone who can assist with filling in more detail about the Race. You can contact the Club by telephoning 07 578 5512 or by email at office@yacht.org.nz .

After successful campaigns in Waikawa and Wellington over the summer Craig Edwards and his team on Flying Machine must be seen to be the favourites to defend their Knight Frank South Island Young 88 title this weekend on Lyttelton Harbour. But Edwards is not expecting have it all his own way.

A very credible challenge is expected from 2013 winner Shibbeen (Humphrey Rolleston) which will be skippered in this year’s challenge by Shane Smith. Smith who’s regular crew on his Elliot 780 Overspray is also in form after a second placing at the Lawsons Dry Hills Regatta in Waikawa in January. It will be the first time that Smith, a past Sunburst National Champion and South Island Zephyr Champion will helm a Young 88 in Class racing. But his experience in trailer yacht and dinghy classes is expected to make him a tough competitor in this class.

Flying Machine has recently returned from the Sovereign Port Nicolson Regatta in Wellington where their polished all round performance made quite an impression on the local fleet. They won the Roger Land Young 88 Trophy with 7 straight line honours wins together with Division B line and IRC victories. Tactician Seamus Tredinnick said of their performance “we have been sailing together as a team now for several years and this really shows”. “Craig and Nicci run a great team and we all enjoy sailing the boat as hard and fast as she will go” he said.

Credible challenges are also expected from Full Circle (Phil Folter) who is last season’s Naval Point Club Champion. They know how to take races off Flying Machine and demonstrated so at last year’s Championship in Akaroa. Colin Lock and his crew on Legacy II also travelled north this summer gaining the experience of close racing at the Waikawa Regatta in January.

It will be a busy weekend at Naval Point Club, Lyttelton. In addition to the Knight Frank South Island Young 88 Championships the club is also hosting the Canterbury Trailer Yacht Championships, South Island 420 Championships, South Island Laser Championships, Canterbury Zephyr Championships and the Naval Point Club Dinghy Championships.